Pet Microchips in Switzerland: Registration, Databases & Tracing

Switzerland has two main pet databases. AMICUS is for dogs, and ANIS is for other companion animals, especially cats. Registering a dog in AMICUS is required, but signing up with ANIS is optional.

In this guide:

What do Swiss microchip numbers look like?

Most modern pet microchips follow the ISO standard and contain 15 digits.

The official ISO numeric country code for Switzerland is 756.

A Swiss-issued country-coded microchip will therefore normally begin with 756.

However, not every dog or cat living in Switzerland has a 756 chip.

Imported animals may keep a suitable foreign microchip when they move to Switzerland. Older animals may also have manufacturer-coded microchips that begin with the digit 9.

These manufacturer-coded numbers can appear in several countries, so they do not prove where the pet was chipped or registered.

Some animals received their microchip in another country before arriving in Switzerland. Swiss rules allow suitable imported microchips to remain in use, and imported dogs must have their identification checked and registered in AMICUS after arrival.

This is common with:

Imported dogs and cats
Pets adopted through foreign rescues
Animals that moved to Switzerland with their families
Former stray animals that later travelled abroad
Older animals with manufacturer-coded chips

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still be linked to a Swiss registration when the animal has been recorded in AMICUS or ANIS.

In short, the first digits can give a clue about origin. They do not prove where the animal lives or which database holds the registration.

Example formats commonly found in Switzerland

Many different microchip numbers may appear in Switzerland. These examples show a few possible formats, but many other variations exist.

756123456789012 — Swiss country-coded microchip
900123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
981123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
276123456789012 — foreign country-coded microchip

A manufacturer-coded prefix can appear in more than one country. For this reason, use the prefix as a clue only.

Read our guide to pet microchip numbers for more detailed information and practical steps.

What should you do if you find a pet with a Swiss microchip?

Start by confirming the full microchip number.

Ask a veterinarian, shelter or police station to scan the animal and check every digit of the microchip number. Most Swiss organisations have microchip readers and can use the number to help find the registered owner.

Then:

Use the free ChipTrace microchip lookup to check available country, registry and manufacturer routes.
Search EUROPETNET, which includes both Swiss databases AMICUS and ANIS.
For a dog, ask a Swiss veterinarian, shelter, police station or other authorised organisation to check the AMICUS route.
For a cat or another companion animal, ask them to check ANIS where appropriate.
Search STMZ for an existing lost-animal report.
If the Swiss routes give no answer, continue with foreign databases and manufacturer or distributor tracing.

EUROPETNET currently lists both AMICUS and ANIS as Swiss member organisations.

Can you search AMICUS or ANIS yourself?

You cannot search AMICUS or ANIS the same way you can search an open public database like Austria’s Heimtierdatenbank.

AMICUS is the official Swiss dog database. It helps trace escaped, abandoned and lost dogs, but detailed keeper information is handled through the registered system and authorised organisations.

ANIS works similarly for other companion animals. Veterinarians, police, shelters and some municipal services can use a microchip number to access the registered keeper’s contact details and contact them.

If you find a pet, it is usually best to use EUROPETNET and ask a Swiss veterinarian, shelter or police station for help.

Which microchip database does Switzerland use?

There are two main systems in Switzerland.

AMICUS

AMICUS is the national dog database.

Identitas operates it on behalf of the Swiss cantons, and registration is compulsory for dogs throughout Switzerland.

Veterinarians identify and initially register dogs, while municipalities manage the keeper’s personal information. Transfers, takeovers and deaths are then reported through AMICUS.

ANIS

ANIS is the companion-animal database for animals other than dogs.

Most animals registered in ANIS are cats, but the database can also include rabbits, ferrets, parrots, tortoises and other pets. Registration is optional.

If an ANIS-registered animal is found, authorised users can use its chip number to retrieve the keeper’s contact information.

So the simple version is:

Dog → AMICUS

Cat or other companion animal → ANIS, if registered

What if the microchip is not found?

If you do not find a match, it doesn’t always mean the animal isn’t registered.

First, scan the animal again and confirm every digit.

Then consider the most common possibilities:

someone copied or entered the number incorrectly
the animal has a foreign registration
the pet moved to Switzerland from another country
the chip uses a manufacturer prefix
a cat was microchipped but never registered in ANIS
the information has changed
the database you searched is not the one holding the record
the animal has no registration attached to the chip

EUROPETNET and Swiss microchips

Keep tracing after a negative result

Search EUROPETNET first if you have not already done so.

EUROPETNET is particularly useful in Switzerland because both AMICUS and ANIS participate in the network. Its public search can identify which member database holds a microchip record.

If EUROPETNET gives no result, check countries where the animal may previously have lived.

The microchip manufacturer or distributor can also provide another trail. In some cases, they may be able to identify the veterinarian, supplier, breeder, shelter or rescue that originally received the chip.

A chip that looks Swiss can be a helpful clue.

But it is not a reason to stop searching after just one Swiss database.

How does STMZ help with lost and found pets?

Switzerland also has the Schweizerische Tiermeldezentrale, or STMZ.

STMZ runs a national database of missing and found animals. It handles more than 32,000 reports a year and lets people submit both missing-animal and found-animal reports.

If you find an animal, STMZ recommends taking it to a veterinary practice for a microchip check. It can also help connect finders with people who have chip scanners.

There is another useful reason to report a found animal there.

STMZ automatically forwards found-animal reports to the appropriate cantonal reporting office and says this fulfils the finder’s statutory reporting obligation on their behalf.

So if the microchip does not immediately solve the case:

scan the animal → trace the chip → check STMZ → submit a found report where necessary.

How does ChipTrace help with Swiss microchips?

Switzerland shows that tracing a microchip takes more than just finding a database website.

ChipTrace can help identify the likely country, database and manufacturer routes and show you where to continue when the obvious search does not give you an owner.

This becomes especially useful when:

you do not know whether to look in AMICUS or ANIS
the animal has a foreign microchip
EUROPETNET finds nothing
the chip starts with a manufacturer prefix
the animal previously lived outside Switzerland
you need another route after the database search fails

The key thing to remember is that AMICUS and ANIS are the main registration systems, and EUROPETNET helps the public trace microchips in both.

Are microchips required in Switzerland?

Dogs

Dogs in Switzerland must have a microchip and must be registered in AMICUS.

Only veterinarians may implant dog microchips in Switzerland. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office explains the identification and AMICUS requirements.

A puppy must receive its microchip no later than three months after birth and always before the breeder or original keeper transfers it to someone else.

Cats

Cats follow different rules.

Switzerland does not generally require privately owned domestic cats to have a microchip.

The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office recommends microchipping and registering cats because it makes them much easier to identify and return if they go missing.

ANIS registration is voluntary.

Registering your cat makes it much easier to find if it goes missing, but an unregistered cat is not breaking any national microchip law.

How to register a pet microchip in Switzerland

Registering a dog

A veterinarian handles the dog’s identification and initial AMICUS registration.

Municipalities manage the keeper information in AMICUS, while veterinarians handle the dog’s identification. The Swiss federal dog guidance explains this split.

When getting or registering a dog:

Make sure your keeper details are correctly recorded.
Ask the veterinarian to scan and confirm the complete microchip number.
Check that the dog has been entered in AMICUS.
Keep the microchip and veterinary documents.
Keep your personal details current through the appropriate municipality.

If this is your first dog, you may need the relevant keeper registration before the veterinarian can complete the dog’s record.

Do not assume that just having a chip means the AMICUS registration is correct.

The microchip identifies the dog. AMICUS connects that identification to the registered keeper.

Registering a cat

Cat registration works differently from dog registration in Switzerland.

Ordinary pet cats do not have to be registered nationally, but the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office recommends microchipping and registering cats because it makes them much easier to identify and return if they go missing.

A microchipped cat can be registered in ANIS, Switzerland’s voluntary companion-animal database.

Ask a veterinarian to scan the cat and confirm the complete microchip number before registration.

Make sure the ANIS record contains your current contact details, and update them whenever you move or change telephone number.

If your cat already has a foreign registration, keep that record active as well unless you know it is no longer useful.

A microchip identifies the cat. The registration is what gives a finder a route back to you.

Can I add a global microchip registration?

Yes. A global registration can provide another route back to the owner.

Animal-ID allows owners to create an additional registration using an existing microchip number.

This can help when:

The pet travels outside Switzerland
The animal was first registered in another country
A finder uses an international microchip search
The pet has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip
The animal moves between countries
You want an additional tracing route alongside AMICUS or ANIS

Important: a global registration is only an additional safety net.

For dogs, it does not replace compulsory registration in AMICUS.

For cats, it does not replace ANIS if you want the animal to have a Swiss tracing registration.

Keep the same contact details in every active registration.

What happens when a dog changes keeper?

AMICUS uses a two-part transfer process.

The previous keeper records a transfer, and the new keeper then records the acceptance.

The change is not complete until both sides have done their part. AMICUS explains the transfer and acceptance process on its keeper portal.

Before taking a dog home:

have the microchip scanned
check that the number matches the documents
make sure the previous keeper completes the transfer
complete the acceptance in AMICUS
keep a written purchase or adoption agreement

What if your address changes?

For dogs, personal details such as an address change go through the municipality rather than being edited in AMICUS by the keeper.

AMICUS tells keepers who move to report the change to their municipality.

If you also have pets registered in ANIS, check and update those records separately.

If you use an additional international registration such as Animal-ID, update that separately as well.

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Start with the registration.

For a dog, make sure the AMICUS information is correct.

For a cat or another ANIS-registered animal, make sure those contact details are current.

If your pet also has an international registration, check those contact details too.

Then create a missing-animal report with STMZ. Its system compares new missing and found reports and alerts people when it identifies possible matches.

Also contact:

local veterinarians
animal shelters and rescue organisations
police where appropriate
the relevant cantonal reporting service
local lost-and-found animal groups

Do not share the full microchip number in public.

Keep part of the number private so you can use it to confirm ownership if needed.

Moving to Switzerland with a pet

Switzerland gives dog owners a particularly clear deadline.

Moving with a dog

If you bring a dog into Switzerland to live there, a Swiss veterinarian must check its microchip and register the import in AMICUS within 10 days of entry. The Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office confirms this deadline.

A suitable foreign microchip does not automatically need replacing simply because the dog has moved to Switzerland. Swiss guidance recommends avoiding an unnecessary second chip when the existing identification is suitable and the dog entered legally.

After arrival:

Ask a Swiss veterinarian to scan the chip.
Compare it with the passport or other documents.
Complete the AMICUS import registration within 10 days.
Check that your keeper details are correct.
Keep any helpful foreign registration active until your Swiss record is confirmed.

The 10-day AMICUS requirement applies to imported dogs. It is separate from the rules for tourists travelling temporarily with their pets.

Moving with a cat

Switzerland does not impose the same domestic registration requirement on ordinary pet cats.

However, the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office recommends microchipping and registering cats, and registering a microchipped cat in ANIS gives it a useful local tracing route if it later goes missing.

Ask a Swiss veterinarian to scan the chip and check that it matches the cat’s travel documents.

If your cat already has a foreign microchip registration, keep it active while you establish the Swiss registration.

You can also add an international registration such as Animal-ID as an additional tracing route.

If your cat is not yet microchipped, ask a Swiss veterinarian about having one implanted and then make sure the number is registered.

A microchip is most useful when somebody who finds your cat has a registration that leads back to you.

Travelling with a pet to or from Switzerland

Switzerland is not an EU Member State, but its pet-travel rules closely interact with the EU system.

For normal entry into Switzerland from the EU, dogs, cats and ferrets generally need:

a microchip
a valid rabies vaccination
a recognised pet passport

The microchip must identify the animal before the rabies vaccination used for travel. You can check the current requirements in the official Swiss pet-travel guidance.

Entry from some non-EU countries involves additional rules, including possible rabies antibody testing and different documentation.

Our Pet Travel: Microchip Checks Before You Go guide explains the practical checks to make before travelling.

Always check the latest Swiss rules for your specific travel route before you leave.

In short

Switzerland has two clear registration routes:

AMICUS = compulsory national dog database.

ANIS = voluntary companion-animal database, used mainly for cats.

Both databases participate in EUROPETNET, which gives finders a useful public microchip-search route.

An additional international registration can provide another safety net, but it does not replace the Swiss registration that applies to the animal.

For a found microchipped animal, the practical approach is:

ChipTrace → EUROPETNET → AMICUS or ANIS through a vet, shelter or police → STMZ → foreign databases → manufacturer or distributor if necessary.

And Switzerland gives anyone moving there with a dog one particularly useful number to remember:

10 days to have the imported dog checked by a Swiss veterinarian and registered in AMICUS.

If you do not find anything on your first search, keep looking.

Useful Swiss microchip links

AMICUS
Official national database for dogs in Switzerland

ANIS
Voluntary Swiss companion-animal database, used mainly for cats

STMZ – Schweizerische Tiermeldezentrale
Search or report missing and found animals in Switzerland

EUROPETNET
Search participating European microchip databases

Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration

Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office – Dogs
Official information about dog microchips, AMICUS and imported dogs

Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office – Cats
Official Swiss guidance on cat microchipping and registration

Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office – Pet Travel
Check the official entry and travel requirements for dogs, cats and ferrets